Soul Bubbles
Encyclopedia
Soul Bubbles is a puzzle video game for the Nintendo DS
handheld console. It was developed by the French
studio Mekensleep, and was published by Eidos Interactive
in PAL region
s and North America
in 2008. It was released in Japan in 2009 by Interchannel
under the title .
The player has to complete each level by moving all the spirits to the Gateway Cube, where the souls will forever rest, while collecting stardust and Calabash.
Frédérick Raynal
. Raynal left the team in spring of 2006, to start working with Ubisoft
. The game was initially released in North America exclusively through Toys "R" Us retail stores. In late 2008, a demo of the game was made available on the DS Download Service of the Wii
Nintendo Channel.
. N-Europe described it as a "wonderfully calming" game and feels like the "title the DS was built for". It was a nominee for several Nintendo DS-specific IGN
awards, including Best Puzzle Game, Best New IP, and Most Innovative Design. It was nominated for the Game Developers Choice Awards
"Best Debut" award and the BAFTA Video Game Awards
"Handheld" category.
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
handheld console. It was developed by the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
studio Mekensleep, and was published by Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive Ltd. is a British video game publisher and is a label of Square Enix Europe. As an independent company Eidos plc was headquartered in the Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton....
in PAL region
PAL region
The PAL region is a television publication territory which covers most of Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and most of Western Europe...
s and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
in 2008. It was released in Japan in 2009 by Interchannel
Interchannel
Interchannel is a Japanese game developer and publisher. Previously known as NEC Interchannel and before that NEC Avenue, it was originally a subsidiary of NEC before 70 percent of the company was sold to Index Corporation for approximately 3 billion yen in 2004...
under the title .
Gameplay
The core gameplay involves transporting "spirits" within protective bubbles through varying environments. Bubbles are moved by being blown by the main "spirit herder" character based on stylus strokes on the DS touch screen. Bubbles may be created, joined, split, deflate and burst using animal "masks", worn by the spirit herder, again using the touch screen. These mechanics are then used to navigate through levels featuring wind currents, enemies, water, fire, gases, spikes, sticky surfaces, and further complexities. At the same time there are collectible "stardust" items that contribute to the player's end-of-level score, and "calabash" that unlock additional levels.Plot
The player plays as a young shaman apprentice, whose duty is to care for lost souls. The player must create protective bubbles to keep the souls safe. The game contains eight worlds and 40 levels.The player has to complete each level by moving all the spirits to the Gateway Cube, where the souls will forever rest, while collecting stardust and Calabash.
Development
The team responsible for final game design consists of Olivier Lejade and Omar Cornut, with the help of experienced game developerGame developer
Game developer may refer to:* Video game developer, an individual or company working on video game production* Video game publisher, a company funding video game developer* Video game producer, a manager of game development team...
Frédérick Raynal
Frédérick Raynal
Frédérick Raynal is a French video game designer and programmer, notable for his game developments in Infogrames, Adeline Software International and No Cliché. He is married to Yaël Barroz, a fellow game designer, with whom he has two children....
. Raynal left the team in spring of 2006, to start working with Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
. The game was initially released in North America exclusively through Toys "R" Us retail stores. In late 2008, a demo of the game was made available on the DS Download Service of the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
Nintendo Channel.
Reception
The game has received generally favorable reviews, attaining 78/100 on review aggregator site MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. N-Europe described it as a "wonderfully calming" game and feels like the "title the DS was built for". It was a nominee for several Nintendo DS-specific IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
awards, including Best Puzzle Game, Best New IP, and Most Innovative Design. It was nominated for the Game Developers Choice Awards
Game Developers Choice Awards
The Game Developers Choice Awards are annually presented by the Game Developers Conference for outstanding game developers and games.Introduced in 2001, the Game Developers Choice Awards were preceded by the Spotlight Awards, which were presented from 1997 to 1999.The 2009 award presentation was...
"Best Debut" award and the BAFTA Video Game Awards
5th British Academy Video Games Awards
The 5th British Academy Video Game Awards awarded by British Academy of Film and Television Arts , was an award ceremony honouring achievement in the field of video games in 2008. Candidate games must have been released in the United Kingdom between 2007 and 2008...
"Handheld" category.